


Whatever's in Between

by iwanttochangemyusername



Series: Before, After, and Whatever's in Between [1]
Category: Ocean's (Movies)
Genre: Gen, High School, Junior High, Kid Fic, Original Character(s)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-30
Updated: 2018-02-27
Packaged: 2018-10-25 14:29:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 3,235
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10766136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iwanttochangemyusername/pseuds/iwanttochangemyusername
Summary: Danny and Rusty are good at what they do. Everyone knows this, though no one really knows what it is they do. They don't even know sometimes. They're just trying to get through school so they can leave this nowhere town. The girl complicates things, as girls often do.





	1. Speechless, Impish, Quiet

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [The more things change](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/287271) by otherhawk. 



> This was inspired by The More Things Change 'Verse over on FanFiction.net. I did not write that story and I do not own any of the Ocean's movies.

To be fair, this wasn’t the most compromising position they had ever found themselves in.

 

That being said, Danny never thought he would be crammed in a tiny locker on a Friday evening. Being in the locker with Rusty made things marginally better. Being in the girl's locker room made things marginally worse. It was okay; they just had to wait for the volleyball team to leave. Then they could sneak out the way they came. Buddy Lupton had probably already lost interest in chasing them. Probably.

 

A quick glance at Rusty confirmed that he was still holding onto his ribs. The fact that Danny knew they were “just bruised” didn't ease his worry. Rusty felt his stare, ducked his blond head, and somehow managed to convey his annoyance with Danny's worry-wort attitude without words or eye contact. Danny was simultaneously frustrated and impressed.

 

A girl stepping close to the locker they were hiding in saved him from further examination of his feelings, as both boys tried to be even more soundless then they already were. When they ducked into the locker room twenty minutes ago, they had very little time to choose which locker to hide in. They had chosen the one closest to the door in the hopes that it would be avoided by the female students because of the proximity to Coach James’ office. Rusty had picked the lock all unused school lockers were required to have, while Danny played lookout. When Danny turned to tell him volleyball practice had ended, Rusty said “It’s empty,” so they took the opportunity presented to them.

 

Later, Danny wound reassure himself multiple times that they had a lot on their minds and could not be held accountable for the many years of misfortune that decision led to.

 

The girl (or maybe it wasn't the same girl - they had been very careful not to look out of the thin, eye level slots in the locker while the room was filled with girls in varying stages of undress) suddenly opened the door and Danny jumped at the same time Rusty froze. They looked at her together with wide eyes and Danny tried to get his brain to work well enough to come up with something clever to say.

 

She paused just long enough to blink at them, then handed Rusty her red sweatshirt and promptly closed the locker door again.

 

After they got over the shock, Danny and Rusty silently argued over whether or not to give themselves up now or wait for the girl to come back with Coach James. Danny was of the firm belief that if she was going to snitch she would have screamed when she opened the door. Rusty didn't trust her, which was understandable. They both were thankful that none of the other girls in the locker room seemed to notice their brief exchange with her.

 

After deciding to wait and see what would happen, they tried to figure out who the girl was. It was easy to know everyone in the combined high/junior high school of their small town. Easier for them since they had done favors for almost all of the students. Danny vaguely remembered hearing something about a new student in first period French, but he knows too much of the language to really pay attention in that class. Plus he wasn't able to sneak a cup of coffee out of the teacher's lounge until halfway through third period, so it could have been a dream. Rusty told him about a kid being forced to introduce himself in his American History class when they met up for lunch, but that was a boy. 

 

When Danny raised an eyebrow to ask “Are you sure?” Rusty gave him a flat look that said “Don't insult me,” so he let it go.

 

Fifteen minutes later, they heard the animated female voices fade away from the locker room. Just when they had agreed to wait another five minutes to be sure everyone had gone, the locker door opened again. They both froze this time, expecting to see Coach James’ death glare and bright red lipstick. Why she needed so much lipstick to oversee junior high gym and the girls volleyball team, was widely debated amongst the students.

 

Instead of that horrifying image, they found themselves faced with the mystery girl again. She stepped aside and said “You can come out now,” with a smirk and so much amusement in her voice, that Danny was reminded of when his father - to his wife's dismay - once had old college buddies over and shared inside jokes with them over his head.

 

He knew without looking at him that Rusty didn't get the joke either, and after a quick look around the empty locker room to confirm that the three of them were in fact alone, he came to the conclusion that he and Rusty were the ones being laughed at. Which was a startling change for them, to say the least.

 

“Um, thanks,” he said trying to convey confidence and sincerity as they removed themselves from the locker, but only managing to come across as confused.

 

“You’re welcome,” the girl said, seemingly indifferent to his confusion. She turned to Rusty and held out her hand expectantly. After a brief pause, he remembered that he was holding her sweatshirt and gave it back to her. She nodded in thanks, then pulled it over her head - mindful of her still wet hair. Danny noted somewhere in his confused brain that this was the first time he had ever spoken to a natural redhead.

 

“How did you get in there? The coach said all unused lockers were locked,” The girl asked.

 

On the long list of questions Danny expected her to ask, that one was very, very low.

 

“Um,” He said unintelligently. Luckily, Rusty saved him and pulled their lockpicks from his pocket to show her.

 

When she saw the picks, her green eyes lit up like the Christmas lights hung up around town every late November. She took a step in Rusty’s direction and held out her hand to him again.

 

“May I?” She asked hopefully. Rusty looked to Danny, but they both could see the decision had already been made. Rusty placed the lockpicks in her outstretched hand. The girl held them with great care, as if she knew how precious they were to the two boys. Her wide, excited smile made the last of Danny's unease and Rusty’s distrust disappear for some reason.

 

She walked to a locker three doors down from the one Danny and Rusty had crawled out of and fluidly kneeled in front of it. Before either boy could think to offer to show her how to use the lockpicks, the locker was open and she was on her feet again. They watched her curiously as she rummaged in the locker, apparently searching for something.

 

“So, what are your names?” She asked with her eyes on her task. That was higher on Danny's List of Questions, but not by much.

 

“I'm Danny, and this is Rusty,” he answered for both of them, knowing Rusty wasn’t comfortable enough to talk yet. “What's yours?”

 

“I haven't decided yet,” She replied. Danny raised an eyebrow, but instead of elaborating she made a triumphant noise and pulled a grey baseball cap out of the locker in front of her.

 

“It’s nice to meet you,” She finished with a smile. She then stood in front of the mirror hung up on the inner door of the locker she had broken into. As she tried to fit all of her medium length, wet hair under the baseball cap, Danny searched for something else to say. This was turning out to be a very different Friday for him.

 

“Thanks for-” Rusty said after a moment, most likely tired of Danny's silence more than his own.

 

“-not ratting us out to Coach James. We really owe you one,” Danny finished immediately.

 

If she had any reaction to them finishing each other's sentences, she didn't show it. Danny was beginning to like her.

 

“Don't worry about it,” She dismissed, closing the locker and locking it again. She walked the few steps back to them with her new hat on her head and a smile on her face. She then handed Rusty their lockpicks.

 

“Letting me use these was more than enough payback,” She assured them. 

 

“Anyway, I’ve got somewhere I need to be, so I guess I'll see you two around?” She asked. Danny wanted to believe she sounded hopeful.

 

“Yeah, we-” Danny started.

 

“-hope so,” Rusty finished.

 

She smiled at them again and walked past them toward the door leading back to the short hallway between the gym and the locker rooms. 

 

Danny and Rusty shared another look with each other when they heard the door close. Danny recognized the interest and confusion in Rusty’s expression just as easily as Rusty recognized the same in his.

 

_ Wow. _

 

_ Yeah. _

 

The door to the locker room opened just as suddenly as the door to the locker they hid in earlier had. Danny jumped at the same time Rusty froze. Again. They looked toward the door together and saw the girl with just her head poked in and a thoughtful expression on her face.

 

“By the way,” She said slowly, “Make sure you lock the door to your hiding place before you leave.”

 

She flashed an impish grin, “After all, that's how I caught you.”

 

Then she was gone again.

 

“Wow, she's-” Rusty started.

 

“-yeah, absolutely,” Danny finished.


	2. Confusion, Stealth, Brilliance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next time they see The Girl, she's the one hiding. Rusty is very helpful, then he is very unhelpful. The change has already begun, Danny-boy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know what I'm doing yet.

The next time they see her, she’s the one hiding.

Danny’s mom leaves for work three minutes before Rusty climbs through his bedroom window on Monday morning. After spending the weekend together, Danny knows the bruises around his ribs are a faded green instead of the angry purple they were on Friday. He still can’t help himself from looking for new signs of injury. Rusty had assured him that his father wouldn’t be home before leaving late Sunday night, but he wouldn’t let Danny come with him just in case.

Rusty ignores his prying eyes and says “I need the exercise,” before Danny can point out that his front door is functional. Danny just barely refrains from rolling his eyes at the terrifying thought of the skin and bones that is Rusty Ryan losing weight he doesn't have.

They grab their backpacks and make their way to their favorite diner for breakfast. They had been going to Sammy’s Diner since they were old enough to spend the money they swindled and stole without adult suspicion. At first the boys were wary of the owner's knowing gaze, but after she introduced the “Clean Plate Discount” the frequently empty restaurant became a safe place for Danny and Rusty to relax and discuss business, as well as other things.

Like the best way to see a movie.

“Horror will always be better in a theater,” Danny said as they walked through the diner door. Rusty didn't reply until they were comfortably seated in their booth.

“All the other people ruin the experience,” he argued.

“They add to the experience, Rus,” Danny said. “You feed off of everyone else’s fear and make yourself more scared.”

“Why would you want to be _more_ scared?” Rusty asked.

“If you don't want to be scared, why are you watching a horror movie?” Danny countered.

Rusty shrugged. Danny is about to accuse him of being intentionally contradictory, when Sam brings over their usual breakfast order. Coffee, pancakes, and a bowl of fresh strawberries for Danny and scrambled eggs, hash browns, bacon, and toast with orange juice and slices for Rusty. The fruit is her subtle way of getting them to eat healthier. Danny wonders if this is what having a grandmother feels like.

Sam places down their respective meals with a cheerful “Good morning, boys,” and a smile.

“Good morning, Sam,” Danny and Rusty say in unison.

They expect her to say “You boys,” with a wave of her hand and a giggle because she has long gotten used to the way they are. Instead she stares out of the window their booth is pressed against with a worried expression. Danny looks in the same direction and immediately spots The Girl, as they had been referring to her over the weekend.

She's crouched behind an ugly green car parked in front of the drug store across the street from the diner. If it weren't for the odd way the car was parked, they wouldn't be able to see her at all. Danny rakes his eyes up and down the street she is on, but can't find anyone or anything she might be hiding from.

“Do you know her?” Rusty asks.

“No, I've never seen her before,” Sam says. “Would you be a dear and go see if she's alright?”

They’re both halfway across the street before they can think to argue about who has to stay.

The Girl sees them coming, smiles and waves. When they reach her, she sits on the ground and looks up at them expectantly. Danny and Rusty simultaneously realize that neither of them thought of what to say to her.

“Do you want to join us for breakfast?” Rusty asks. Danny tries to look sincere while mentally praising Rusty’s brilliance.

She blinks. They wait.

“Okay,” She says. She stands and moves past them towards the diner.

Danny catches Rusty’s eye as they follow her across the street.

_What now, Genius?_

_Why don't you think of something for once?_

Danny huffed and absolutely did not pout.

“Why are you pouting?” The Girl asked when they sat down across from her.

Danny was about to tell her that he absolutely was not pouting when Sam placed down a plate piled high with pancakes, bacon, and mixed fruit.

“If you need anything else just call for me, sweetie,” She said while pouring a second cup of coffee.

“Thank you, ma’am,” The Girl said with a bright, smile.

Sam smiled back, then left them alone.

Once again, Danny found himself not knowing what to say to her. Rusty had gone back to his meal and would not be any help. As they cut into their pancakes, he can tell that her attention is on him.

After thinking for a moment he decides on what he’s going to say to her. He elbows Rusty to get his opinion, but when they make eye contact, Rusty shrugs. Danny roles his eyes at Rusty’s false indifference.

_You’re not fooling me, Rus._

Rusty goes back to his half empty plate with a smirk; Danny turns back to The Girl with a sigh. She has a small smile on her face from watching their exchange. Danny clears his throat and looks her in the eye.

“Have you decided on a name yet?” He asks. Rusty chugs orange juice, but otherwise gives her his full attention.

Her grin makes him feel like they’re starting a new chapter in their lives. He can taste Rusty’s excitement as well as he can feel his own.


	3. Thoughtful

Rusty walks into fourth period English, and wonders if he can keep to the same routine now that everything's changed.

 

Routine helped him function. Before he met Danny it was all he had.

 

They're on the third chapter of _Lord of the Flies_ but he'd finished the novel the first day they got them. Mrs. Kyle doesn't need to know that though, so he easily drowns out her soft voice and promises himself that he'll get at least an 80% on the next quiz to make it up to her. She is Danny's favorite teacher after all.

 

He wonders if The Girl had a favorite teacher or book or anything.

 

 _Pearl_ , he reminds himself with a smile.

* * *

“I’m calling myself Pearl,” she said triumphantly.

 

“Nice,” Danny replied. He was trying to be cool and failing miserably. Pearl and Rusty shared an amused glance. He had never felt so comfortable with another person (that wasn’t Danny) in his life. Something about her just made him feel…

 

“Why Pearl?” he found himself asking.

 

“My mom had a cat named Pearl when she was younger,” she said with a shrug. Rusty glanced at Danny to make sure he wasn’t buying that either. Pearl smirked into her coffee and pretended not to see their knowing looks. Rusty shrugged too.

 

It wasn’t really an answer but, they didn't need to ask for more.

 

They continued breakfast with comfortable conversation.

* * *

 

Why were they so comfortable with this girl? Who was she? Who were they?

 

They were Danny and Rusty, always and forever, whenever and wherever.

 

They spoke without words and trusted without hesitance.

 

They had been that way since they met. They would stay that way no matter how many times Danny's mom kicked Rusty out for being ‘disheveled’ or how much Rusty’s dad kicked his ass for ‘hanging with those stuck up assholes’.

 

They wouldn't change.

 

Somehow, Pearl was making things different without changing anything. He knew they were still going to sneak in and out of Danny's room and he knew they were still going to roll their eyes when Sam pushed food toward them, then eat it anyway.

 

But he also knew that next period they were going to have lunch on the roof with Pearl. And he also knew that after school, they were going to follow her for however long she let them.

 

He shook himself as the bell rung and gathered his things. He just managed to rush out of the classroom before Mrs. Kyle could catch his eye and ask him any questions. Ever since she had started paying attention to Danny, she kept trying to pay attention to him too. While he appreciated her going out of her way for Danny when his dad died, she didn't seem to realize that they didn't need her comfort anymore.

 

After making a quick stop at his locker, he made his way to the roof without incident. Which was a relief because Buddy Lupton had been staring at the three of them when they entered the main school building that morning. He was probably still angry about losing them on Friday. Or maybe he was jealous that Danny and Rusty were getting close with the pretty new girl.

 

Before that thought could go any further, Danny and Pearl burst onto the roof with heavy breaths and two trays piled high with cafeteria food.

 

They made their way to him and sat heavily. Before he could decide if he wanted to ask, Danny answered.

 

“Buddy,” was all he needed to say and Rusty could imagine the larger boy and a few of his lackeys cornering Danny in the hallway outside of the cafeteria. He wished he had been there so they could have faced that together.

 

“I had it under control,” Danny said, interrupting Rusty's thoughts. Before he could say something sarcastic about that, Pearl scuffed.

 

“ _I_ had it under control,” she said definitely. That was apparently the end of the conversation on her end because she picked up and started eating what looked like half a sandwich. Danny seemed to agree because he smiled, handed Rusty the other half (ham, cheese, and mustard on white bread - just the way Rusty liked it), and started eating a vanilla pudding cup.

 

Their lunch was a relaxing repeat of breakfast. Rusty could get used to this new routine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Making Rusty talk is like looking for pink sand on a California beach. Despite my best efforts he still ended up not saying much.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time publishing my work and I would appreciate any constructive criticism.


End file.
